Archive for December, 2006

And boy let me tell you, does it feel good. The semester’s over, the gen ed’s are over, freshman year is over…and now I can move on. And with next semester’s lineup of all literature/writing classes (aka: the short story, intro to narrative, intro to poetry…and…another one…), things are definitely looking up.

I need to take a step back for a second though, and clear something up that’s been nagging at the back of my mind since…October 21st, if the date next to a couple posts back can be trusted. I had said that I don’t have any “socially acceptable” hobbies. Specifically, video games and the internet.

Who says those aren’t acceptable? I love video games; where does this sudden bash on my future career come from? And the internet? Everyone uses the internet. It’s everywhere. So why the negativity?

I don’t know where it comes from exactly, but I feel like there’s some sort of social stigma from being involved to any high degree to either of these things. That, and the whole geek/nerd/gamer stereotype that seems to have accumulated in the general subconscious. I don’t want to be associated with those images and notions, so I think I tend to downplay my true interests until I get to know people better, or until they get to know me better. And even then, I keep finding myself making sure I’m not crossing some sort of boundary, like, “Am I going off on some total tangent now?” or, “Is this boring you?”

Well, social politeness or no, I think it’s about time I owned up to what I’ve admitted here is an integral part of me. My Shakespeare, my Picasso, my Mozart and Beethoven…my Final Fantasy. To know me is to know an aspiring artist in the world of gaming. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Oh, and I’m afraid this also means I will probably start talking a lot more about obscure things that who knows how many of you will know about. But then, maybe I’ll spark someone’s interest.

To wit! I have discovered something so glorious, so unbelievably blissful, I can scarcely dare to hope that it won’t be horribly maimed due to adding all sorts of awful, out-of-character material. I am referring to Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou (which apparently translates to The Lion’s War), a port of the original coming to the Playstation Portable (PSP).

I think I told my dad on a recent car trip that this would be the ultimate thing EVER. The original FFT…played anywhere I want. It would practically render anything else as…extra. And yet, already my fears are being realized. Sure, they’re going to add some more classes, but do I really want them in my precious Lion-War-era-Ivalice if they’re going to be things like…Onion Knights? (That’s a no, by the way.)

I mean that’s just…there’s no way to make that dramatic and dark. Imagine, you’re about to face the incarnation of the most hellish fiend imaginable, Altima, the head of the Lucavi, and so you head into battle alongside your loyal priest, lancer, ninja…and onion knight. That is so something suited to Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance 2. Which, I might add, is also going to come into existence! Why do you hate us so, SquareEnix? WHY???

*Sigh*

On a brighter note, after having gotten myself hooked on the music of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (awful game, glorious music), and subsequently ordering the soundtrack for it, I happened to find a project of remixes for it. Most of the songs were…junk…but one of them was just so quirky and innovative that it is genius, genius I say! Because what’s better than an rocking boss theme? One done solely with Homestar Runner sound effects.

That’s right. Homestar’s Mystic Quest. It, along with just about everything else that the composer, Mazedude, has done, is superb. Thus, I am also now hooked on video game remixes.

And on a minor sidenote, Super Smash Brothers: Melee has secured its place in my heart now that I have a character I like to use - Mr. Game and Watch.

I was skeptical too the first time I saw him. Hah, a 2-dimensional character from a series of low-production gameboy games! That’s hilarious!

I beat two end bosses with him. Fighting at the same time. And I only had one life.

Game and Watch forever.

[P.S: And as soon as I figure out how to somehow share tunes with this here blog here, I can let you all in on the fun…]

Edit: Mwahaha! Unlocked the secrets of the eons have I, and all that is left now is to link it up!…Mweehee…

Edit 2: Booo…well, I can’t link directly to them, but if you go to the remixes page, there’s the whole list of songs. You just have to click on the pictures to listen. Be careful; they start at full-blast-bleeding-eardrums volume.

Some other listening suggestions: River City Rammstein, Turtle Wave, Reich Lake, Surface of the Moon.